A Piece for Peace

Egyptian Revolution: Chaos in Cairo

“But analysts say that as important in blunting uprisings as the brute force available is the extent to which a ruler, ruthless authoritarian as he may be, at least appears an authentic champion of his country and not a pawn of others.:”

This was the last quote taken from the article from My previous post. Here it is clear that this article is not about determining the needs and wants of the people protesting, but how best to keep them quiet and orderly. People will endure a great deal more if they believe their leader is a ‘champion’ of their country. But what does it mean to be a champion of a country?

Two short paragraphs later, We are told that for countries like Iran, Cuba and Syria, a strong anti-American platform is enough. As We approach the end of the article, We are left with a rather clear picture of what it is that the U.N. analysts have determined the best way to keep autocrats in power.

… “As those episodes showed, if an authoritarian government wants to stay in power, it also needs to build up disciplined, motivated enforcers of their rule who will not decide when the going gets tough that the moral force has passed to the demonstrators.”

So We are being told here that for an autocrat to stay in power, there must be a zero tolerance platform. Quell dissent quickly and quietly. The question is why? Why are We being told this? Do We as democratic citizens not want the voices of the people in oppressed countries to be heard? Is that not the very basis of democracy itself? Why are We interested in knowing how to keep autocrats in power at all? To the best of My knowledge, most people in democratic countries would love to see protesters successfully overthrow their oppressive governments and reclaim their freedom. I think most of Us would just like to know how this can be most peacefully and easily accomplished.

Perhaps the most discerning thing for Me about this article is that these are apparently the finding of an investigation led by the United Nations. The United Nations are currently the governing body over global issues. Does this mean that these are policies that We can expect the U.N. ‘peacekeeping’ (there’s an oxymoron!) forces to apply in the face of all this civil unrest that seems to be sweeping the globe? Is this how ‘peacekeeping’ forces of the U.N. are now going to be trained to deal with civil unrest? And if this is how the U.N. plans to deal with civil unrest in other countries, what will they do in a democratic country if people choose to protest in mass numbers?

We can read the entire article without even realizing that the content of the article is about how to best silence protestors and prevent the overthrow of government. Yet We live in a democratic country where one of Our most basic rights is to peacefully protest the actions of Our government.

The G20 Summit meeting in Toronto is a perfect example of how We can see these very policies materializing in Our own backyard – increased security to quell dissent quickly and quietly. More and more, the media are criminilizing the actions of protestors.

However, I do want to remind My readers that I am only offering an alternative perspective. I am hoping to encourage people to ask more questions when they see, hear or read information from any source, even Me. There is both good and bad in all of this. Because I like to finish on a positive note whenever possible, I will start with the bad.

Unfortunately, I believe the media will provide continuous coverage of any country undergoing serious civil unrest, and they will not do so in a favourable light. Obviously, it takes a tremendous amount of courage for the majority of a country’s population to rise up against their leader. It often makes for chaotic, confrontational, bloody battles. I believe We may even see many examples of excessive military force used against protestors, while deeming it ‘necessary’ to maintaining or re-establishing order and governance. We will see some shining examples of the strenght of the human spirit and We will also see a great deal of brutality and bloodshed. And as We watch all of this happening in countries across the globe, We will secretly be hoping that it never happens here. And that will be the next thing We are sold – how to protect Ourselves from civil unrest, how to prevent an uprising in Our own country. We will not even realize that preventing an uprising in Our own country will mean losing Our voice and freedom of choice, that We are the voice of the protestors.

Which brings Me to the good news. We are the world, We are the people. Although We may see these people protesting in other countries as seperate from Ourselves, they are fighting for the same freedoms that We in democratic countries are fighting to defend. I often have people ask Me how the world will change, how We will finally come to know peace. I tell them that all the people of the world will one day realize their power, will lose their fear, will fight for freedom at any cost. That time has come, it is happening, this is the revolution I am speaking of. As more people come forward, more people will develop the courage to come forward. We are seven billion strong, Our leaders are a meek, weak, few – and if they are not acting on behalf of the People’s best interest, their days are numbered… about 664, give or take an hour or twenty.

We are the world, We are the People. We have many voices, but We are all singing the same song. Soon We will all be heard.